Quality of the air: hope or despair?

Quality of the air: hope or despair?

Open Data on the air we breathe

Looking for some fresh air? This might be a challenge, depending on your city of residence. Multiple government organisations publish Open Data on the air quality and they do so for a very good reason. The amount of for instance inhalable coarse particles can cause health problems. That is why providing information on air (quality) – understood as common good – is important, as only so environmental problems such as air pollution can be addressed in a suitable manner.

How to end up with reliable Open Data on air quality? It all starts with proper measurement stations. Take a look at for instance this French dataset and the locations of air sensors. Moreover, there are different examples of data measuring air quality across Europe and the globe. Curious about levels of Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) or 2.5 micrometres fine particles (known as PM2.5)? Review these Swiss and Italian datasets to find out more.

Furthermore, and as a response to the decrease in air quality that many cities face, many governmental bodies have started implementing measures to tackle this negative development. These actions are by no means superfluous. Example data from the United Kingdom for instance show that air pollution relates to severe health effects. In addition, many engaged citizens have started taking measures to raise awareness around the air pollution problem, such as the uRAD Monitor – a use case featured on the European Data Portal.